Garry Nimmo
My name is Garry Nimmo. It was during my time working with James Waslaski and completing his seminars that I was introduced to Aaron Mattes, who is the founder and developer of ‘Active Isolated Stretching’, ‘The Mattes Method’. James Waslaski described Aaron Mattes as being the ‘Greatest living Stretching Practitioner on the Planet’, ‘and if you wanted to learn how to stretch , he was the person to see’.
I continued to be taught by Aaron and eventually attended his ‘Advanced Active Isolated Stretching’ seminars in London and Florida and also observed his treatments at his clinic in Sarasota, Florida. I also was introduced to George Kouselous who is the founder of ‘Core Structural Integration’ and has a massage school in Tallahassee Florida. This is also a very different way of approaching manual therapy towards the body and how it works.
I also become an International Teaching Assistant in ‘Orthopaedic Massage’, ‘Active Isolated Stretching’ and ‘Core Structural Integration’. I feel so privileged to have been taught by these people who are at the peak of their profession and considered ‘Masters’ in their various professions in the United States. It helps me to achieve something that I feel, which is that manual therapy is an extremely powerful therapy which can have very dramatic results.
Having become more of a stretching therapist and as a result of treating various conditions successfully, I decided that I wanted to totally specialise and become an AIS Specialist. I felt this was an even more powerful treatment and believe if I had had these techniques applied to me all those years ago I would be much better physically restored than I have been to date.
The understanding of anatomy from the 2007/2009/2012/2015 International Fascial Conferences which present the latest Evidence Base Research findings has also changed the way that I practice in clinic and how I teach both students in school and the attendee’s that attend my seminars. It also has changed the way I teach patients about their own anatomy, in relation to their presenting conditions.
Garry Nimmo’s Active Isolated Stretching Programme
I now have a different interpretation of what we are working with, which is along the lines of Tensegrity, which I call the ‘Fascial Continuum’. It links the body in the three dimensional concept which connects both muscle and connective tissues together as we have no space in our tissues and thus it blends together and the forces are both shared and generated within them. Using the principles of AIS it means that a Practitioner can release the three dimensional fabric of our bodies to the deepest tissue using the stretching practices of AIS.
In 2015 I sat an exam in AIS which was set by the AIS National Certification Board in the USA. I was informed shortly after that I had passed and was now a Board Certified AIS Therapist, which has also made me the first and only Board Certified AIS Therapist outside the USA. It is such a privilege and honour to hold and I hope that I will be able to further help with the introduction and development of AIS on a global platform and to maintain the highest standards of AIS which is taught and followed by its founder, Aaron Mattes.
Garry Nimmo
Osteomylogist
DSM, DSRM, DARM, MANIP TH (HONS),
MAO (MANIP) Hons, Cert. of Anesthesia,
Cert Orthopaedic Massage, Cert Core Myofascial,
Board Certified Advanced AIS Therapist,
International TA in Orthopaedic Massage
International TA in Active Isolated Stretching
International Lecturer in Active Isolated Stretching
Internationally Board Certified (AISACB) Active Isolated Stretching & Strengthening Specialist
Principle of the ‘Academy for Aaron Mattes Therapies’
Managing Director, Active Balance Ltd
NAMMT, AISACB, GCMT,CNHC, SMTO, AODP.